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Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, has settled a lawsuit pending in federal court in Los Angeles that was brought on by Vidal Sassoon. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Sassoon sued P&G last year for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, alleging the company stopped producing products under his name so it could boost its Pantene brand and avoid paying Sassoon royalties. The lawsuit claimed that following a change in management in 2000, P&G diverted its new hair care formulas from the Sassoon line.
Last year P&G indefinitely suspended distribution of Vidal Sassoon products in North America. Last month, a federal court denied a second attempt by P&G to dismiss the lawsuit. A trial was scheduled to begin Oct. 19.
In 1985, P&G bought Richardson-Vicks and therefore acquired the Sassoon brand. In 1988, Sassoon signed a new agreement with similar terms.
Though the Vidal Sassoon line of hair care products is not currently on shelves in North America, P&G will retain ownership of the Sassoon name as part of the settlement. Sassoon is a top-selling brand in Asia.